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W. MENDENHALL. STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

No. 424,327. Patented Mar. 25, 1890.

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W. MENDENHALL. STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

No. 424,827. Patented Mar. 25, 1890.

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W. MENDENHALL. V STORE SBRVIGE APPARATUS.

No. 424,327. Patented Mar. 25, .1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM MENDENHALL, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE MENDEN- HALL STORE SERVICE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACEI STORE-SERVICE APPARATUS.

., SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,327, dated March 25, 1890.

Application filed November 30, 1888 Serial No. 292.204. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MENDENHALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Store-Service Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and ex act description, reference being had to the accompanying dr. wings, forming part of this IO specification.

My invention relates to that class of storeservice apparatus in which a carrier is propelled upon a way or wire and carries beneath it a detachable receptacle for the articles to be transported; and ithas for its object the improvement in the construction and mode of operation of the apparatus.

' The novelty of my invention will be herewith set forth, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a store-service apparatus embodying my' invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the carrier and receptacle under one form of construction. Fig.3 is a corresponding view to Fig. 2 under another form of construction. Fig. 4c is a corresponding view to Fig. 1 with a modification in the construction. Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view through the dotted line 00 0c of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail plan through the dotted line 1 y of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a corresponding view of Fig. 1 with another modification in the construction. Fig. 8 represents a side elevation of a modified form of spring for resetting the propelling-cord. Fig. 9 is a central vertical section of the lower portion of the pendent support for the propelling devices. Fig. 10 is a central vertical 4 section of a portion of said support, showing the employment of a weight instead of a spring for resetting the propelling-cord.

The same letters of reference are used to indicate identical parts in all the figures.

A is the usual vertical tubular post, secured at its upper end to the ceiling or other support and having passed through its lower end and secured to some suitable fixed point one end of the horizontal wire or way B, upon which the carrier and receptacle are propelled. Secured to and extending from the post A horizontally over the wire 15 is anarm O, having a bearing a at its extremity, in which is journaled a vertical grooved pulley b. In a bearing 0, clamped or secured to the post A, are journaled two grooved pulleys cl 6, the former horizontal and the latter vertical, (see Fig. 6,) to serve as guides for the operating cord or rope D, which is passed up over the pulleys cl 6 and thence forward over the pulley l), and has its forward end (see Fig. 1) provided with a button-disk or other suitable projection f, which, with the forward end of the cord D, hangs down just over the wire B, as seen by the solid lines.

The carrier is composed of the usual or any suitable bar g,fron1 which extend up the ears h,in which the grooved rollersi are journaled, and by which latter the carrier is supported on the wire 13, the pendent arms or hangers j, which carry the cup or receptacle E,in a manner to be presently explained, the upturned forks Z near each end of the bar g, and spring-jaws m at each end of the bar g.

When the carrier and its receptacle are propelled across the wire and come in toward the apparatus just described, the button j is caught between the adjacent forks Z, and with the cord D is carried back to the position indicated by the dotted lines, and the springjaws mslip over a head or enlargement n upon the end of the piston-rod F of the air-cushioning device G. This air-cushion serves to arrest the carrier without shock or jar, and the spring-arms m by their frictional contact with the enlargement 11- hold the carrier to the rod F.

Upon giving the handle q a quick pull downward the button f is suddenly drawn forward against the forks Z of the carrier, and the latter is thereby released from the rod F and propelled across the way to a similar or other suitable receiving and returning apparatus. It is desirable to have a stop for limiting the stroke of the cord D and button f, and to that end I place a button or knot 0" upon the cord, which is arrested by a slotted or perforated stop-piece .9, preferably adjustable upon the rod G, and through which the cord 1) is strung.

It is of course evident that the springq'aws on may be upon the end of the rod F, in which event the ends of the carrier would have the enlargement to be caught and engaged by said jaws; or, again, the air-cushion might be applied to the carrier, as will be readily understood, in which event the spring-jaws might be upon the post, or, it upon thepiston- I a guide-pulley t and up to a spring to, whose upper end is secured, as at o. In propelling the carrier the spring to is put under tension, so that as soon as the carrier has been propelled by the quick downpull of the cord D and the latter is released the button is at once reset or drawn back in readiness to propel the carrier again upon its return, as will be readily understood.

In Figs. 7 and 8 the same result is accomplished by the substitution of a different form of spring. Here, instead of the rubber or coiled springof Fig. 4, I employ a spring-drum J, attached to the post A, and around which a sufficient amount of the rear end of the cord D is wound and made fast. The interior of the drum is hollowed out and contains a convolute spring w, one end of which is made fast to the drum and the other to its stationary spindle. ton goes forward to propel the carrier puts the spring under tension, and upon the release of the cord it resets the parts, as will be readily understood.

In Fig. 10 I have shown how a weight may be substituted for the spring to reset the button. Here the cord passes back from the button through a perforation in thepost and around the pulley t, located in the post, thence up over a pulley a. in the upper part of the post, and thence downward, and has a weight 11 secured to its lower end within the post. Slots 1) are cut in the bottom of the post through the apertures 0, to permit the ready insertion of the wire 13 without the necessity of threading the same, after which the aircushioning devices and the ornamental plug I are applied. The ends of the wire extend back and up and are properly secured, after which and its insertion in the slots 13 the wire is made taut by turn-buckles in the usual manner.

The remaining features of my invention are illustrated in Figs. 2, 3, and 5.

In Fig. 3 the supporting-ring 7." for the cup E is integral with or secured to the lower ends of the hangers The cup E has upon its side two diametrically set lugs c, which, when the cup is lifted and inserted through the ring, pass through slots or recesses (1 upon the inner edge of the-ring, so that when the The turning of the drum as the but have inwardly-extending shoulders to fit under and hold up the ring and cup. Here the under side of the ring at its highest points is recessed, as at e, so that when the cup is turned these recesses are caught and fit over the shoulders of the hangers.

In Fig. 2 the cup is shown just as it is inserted and before it is turned. Where the rlngis upon the hangers, it is of course evident that but one slot d may be employed, in which event the cup would have but one lug.

I do not claim herein specifically the con struction shown in Figs. 1 and 5, as the same are embodied and specifically claimed in an application filed by me on the 14th day of October 1889, Serial No. 327,013.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim v 1. In a store-service apparatus, the combination, wit-ha way and a carrier supported thereon, of an arm extending outwardly over said way and provided atits outer end with a guid e-pulley over the way, a single pro pelling-cord passed over said guide-pulley and having a pendent free end adapted to be grasped by the operator, and a button secured upon and supported by said propelling-cord above the way and arranged to engage the carrier to give the latter a sudden impetus to propel it along the way when said cord is operated, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a store-service apparatus, the combination, with a way and a carrier supported thereon, of an arm extending outwardly over said way and provided at its outer end with a guide-pulley, a propelling-cord passed over said guide-pu1ley,a button secured upon and supported by said propelling-cord above said way and arranged to engage the carrier to propel the same along the way, and a spring or weight for resetting said cord after the car rier has been propelled, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a store-service apparatus, the combi= nation, with a way and a carrier supported thereon, of an arm. extending outwardly over and lengthwise of said way and provided at its outer end with a guide-pulley, a second guide-pulley supported at the inner end of said arm, a propelling-cord passed over saidpulleys,

a button secured upon and supported by said pro1:)elling-cord above said way and arranged to engage the carrier to propel the same along the way, and a spring or weight for resetting said cord after the carrier has been propelled, substantially as and for the purpose described.

at. In a store-service apparatus, the combination,with away and acarrier supported thereon, of an arm extending outwardly over and lengthwise of said way and provided at its outer end with a guide-p ulley, two guide-pulleys supported at the inner end of said arm, a propelling-cord passed around said outer pulley and having its opposite inner ends scribed.

5. In a store-service apparatus, the combination, with the way B' and the carrier supported thereon and provided with the upwardly-extending forks Z, of the support A, arm 0, extending outwardly over the way B and provided at its outer end with the guide pulley Z) over the way, the single propellingcord D, passed over said pulley and over a second pulley at the inner end of the arm 0 and having a pendent free end adapted to be grasped by the operator, and a button f, secured upon and supported by the propellingcord D above the way B and arranged to engage the upwardly-extending forksl of the carrier to give the latter a sudden impetus to propel it forward along the way when said cord is operated, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. In a store-service apparatus, the combination of the support A, the outwardly-exteudin g arm 0, provided at its outer end with the pulley b, the pulleys supported at the inner end of the arm 0, the propelling-cord D, passed around the pulley b and over the pulleys at the inner end of the arm 0 and provided with the button f, secured upon'and supported by said cord above the way B, the resetting-spring connected to one end of said cord, the way B, and the carrier supported on said way and arranged to be engaged by the button f on the propelling-cord, substantially as and for the purpose described. 7. In a store-service apparatus, the comb nation of the support A, thelaterally-extending arm 0, provided at its outer end with the guide-pulley b, the pulleys d, e, and t,earr1ed in bearings secured to the support A, the propelling cord D, passed around the pulley b and having one of its inner ends passed over the pulleys d e and downward and the other over the pulley t and upward, the resettingspring a, secured to the upward-extending end of the cord D, the button f, secured to said cord, the Way B, and the carrier supported thereon and arranged to be engaged by the button f on the propelling-cord,substantially as and for the purpose described.

8. In a store-service apparatus, the combination of the carrier having the downwardlyextending hangers j, provided with the ring is, slotted at d and slanting downward. from said point, and the receptacle E, fitting in said ring and having secured to it the lugs c, arranged to engage the ring, substantially as and for the purpose described.

WM. MENDENl-IALL.

Witnesses:

J. R. P. BROWN, W. C. J'IuDINs'roN. 

